Cinematography



Z9, E941. L. H. HUITT CINEMATQGRAFHY Film April 21', 1935 5. Sheets-Sheet 1 Attorney April 29 1941.,

Filed April 21, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q2 Q2 NE 2: N. m ig m a is a i H. vw W a A ttorn e y;

April 29, 1941.

1.. H. HUlTT CINEMATOGRAPHY Filed April 21, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5.

' April 29', 1941.

L. H; HUITT I 2,240,398

0 INEMATOGRAPHY 5 sheets -sheet 4 Filed April 21, 1939 In ventor b2 jttorneya L. H. HUlTT CINEMATOGRAPHY April 29, 1941.

Filed April 21, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 7

Patented Apr. 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CINEMATOGRAPHY Lionel Hubert Huitt, Rangoon, Burma,

British-India Application April 21, 1939, Serial No. 269,230

, In Great Britain June 28, 1938 16 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the taking of cinematograph pictures and the invention aims at the production of cinematograph pictures in which the attention of the audience is directed automatically to the part of the scene to which at any time the producer desires it to be directed, this part possessin properties in relation to the whole such that,

when the audiences gaze is directed thereto, the

whole gives rise to binocular impressions of depth and Space.

According to the present invention, the definition of the photographic image is caused to vary area and the two images always coincide.

In carrying out the invention in its preferred form, the camera operator moves the foveal area from place to place in the photographic field of view, making its centre follow in general the of that part will then point of major interest in the scene, at the same in somewhat the same manner as the definition of the image on the retina of. the human eye, that is to say, in such a way that there is a small area of good definition corresponding in angu-' 'lar diameter to the fovea centralis of the eye,

the remaining part of the field of view becoming progressively less well defined in proportion to the distance from the area of good definition,

which will hereinafter be referred to for conprovided under the control of the operator.

whereby he can cause the two images. of any object in the view to come into coincidence. The movement of the i'oveal area and the adjustment of coincidence of the two images are preferably effected during the taking of'the pictures, a single film being used and the two images being superimposed on this film by means of reilecting surfaces. It would be within-the invention to expose two separate cinematograph sequences, not superimposed, the view points of these sequences being spaced apart horizontally and ,to make the aforesaid adjustments during a copying operation in which the two sequences are superimposed on a single film..' Conveniently, the means for eil'ecting the adjustment for coincidence, which will hereinafter be referred to as the convergingv means," are interconnected with the focussing device. Thus, the operator need only focus upon that part of the scene which is at any moment within the foveal time maintaining this point in sharp focus and single-image coincidence. The rest of the field will be ill-defined in proportion to the distance from the foveal area and may also be less well illumined. Also, as variolm parts of the scene are at different distances from the lens, only those objects which happen to lie in one particular plane will be in.sharp focus and single image coincidence, and therefore the major part of the remainder oi the items in the field will be additionally indistinct owing to being out of focus and possessing doubled images.

Thus the spectator, when viewing the projected film, will automatically direct his eyes towards the foveal area portrayed on the screen, as this will be the only part of the picture having sharp focus, single image definition and maximum illumination. His attention will be thereby concentrated on that point of interest in the scene which had been selected by the operator and which had been the determining factor in uiding the operators manipulation of the focussing and converging mechanism of the camera.

It is to be understood that the two images taken from diil'erent viewpoints do not produce a stereoscopic. effect properly so-called because both eyes of the spectator see both images, whereas to obtain a true stereoscopic effect the left eye should see only the image taken from the left-hand point of view and the right eye should see only the image taken from the righthand point of view. The doubling of the picture outside the foveal area, however, enhances the directive effect towards the i'oveal area and it also gives an impression of depth or varying mechanism omitted from that figure, and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic representation in side elevation of a complete cinematograph camera embodying the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, Iii represents the film which moves in thefllm gate l2 in the focal plane of the lens II. In front of this lens is a transparent membrane It which has a thin reflecting layer of metal on-its surface, this layer being sufliciently thin to transmit and reflect equal quantitles of light. This membrane is inclined at 45 to the optical axis of the lens. In front of it is a mirror IB. which is fully reflecting and opaque. It is inclined at an angle of 45 to the optical axis but in the opposite direction and it receives light from another mirror 20 which is normally parallel to it. The light from the scene being taken is reflected from the surface of the mirror 20, then from the surface of the mirror ll and passes into the lens after traversing the membrane It. To the right of the membrane It is a further mirror 22 normally parallel thereto. This reflects light onto the surface of the membrane It which reflects a part of it into the lens. Thus, two images are formed in superimposition on the fllm l2, these images being as seen from viewpoints spaced apart in the horizontal direction, that is to say, from the points 24, 26 where the axial rays intersect the mirrors 20, 22 respectively. These two mirrors are pivoted about vertical axes passing through the points 24, 28, so that by tilting these two minors,

rays from a point at any desired distance from the camera, after dividing and traversing the alternative optical paths, can be brought together again to form a single-point image on the film. Thus, when the two mirrors are in the position shown, parallel respectively to the refleeting surfaces is, it, the two images of obiects at infinity are in coincidence on the fllm. If it is desired to bring into coincidence the images of points at any finite distance the mirror 20 is turned in the clockwise direction and the mirror 22 is turned the same amount in the anticlockwise direction.

Hoods 28, 30 are provided which vignette, the margin of the image so that a central area is fully illuminated, but outside this central area the illumination falls away to zero at the edge of the frame. It is intended that when the pictures are projected the central fully illuminated area shall occupy the whole of the normal screen, and the vignetted margin shall be received on an extension surrounding the normal screen.

Immediately in front of the film ll is a movable screen I2 which is shown also in Figure 4. The screen is of transparent material and the small area It is clear so that the light passes through it without dlflusion or distortion. The remainder of the screen is light diffusing in proportion to th radial distance from the clear area, and in Figure 4 the degree of light-diffusing capacity is represented by the density of the shading. The screen may be rendered light-diffusing by frosting it, for example by etching. Conveniently its whole surface is initially ground or etched, the clear area being produced by polishing, the remainder of the surface being less and less perfectly p01- 75 plate ".guidcd by a slot in a bar m, is moved ished in proportion to the distance from the com-- pletely polished area 24. The diffusion of the light passing through the ground or etched part of the screen produces a fogged effect in the image. Alternatively, the surface of the screen may be made wavy or corrugated. the depths of the corrugations increasing gradually outwards from the central plane parallel area. In this case the screen is preferablylplaced further away from the fllm than is shown in Figure 1. The waves or corrugations produce a softening of the definition similar to that produced by mal-focus of the lens.

The screen may also vary in transparency, the central area 14 being clear and the remainder becoming more opaque towards the margins. Thus, the screen produces a foveal area which is well-defined and brightly illuminated, surrounded by an area which becomes progressively more diffused or ill-defined and less well illuminated in proportion to the distance from the foveal area.

Referring to Figure 5, a second lens 35 is provided above the camera lens ll, this second lens being for the view-finder. As shown in this flgure, the mirrors I, I8, 20 and 22 are made large enough to supply both lenses with light. The superimposed images on the view-finder screen will therefore be identical with those on the him, except for very slight vertical parallax effects A second screen 32 is mounted in front of the view-finder screen and the two screens 32 are connected together and to an actuating knob, in a manner which will be described later, so that both screens can be moved in any direction to the same extent.

Both lenses are focussed by screwing them into and out of their mounts I8, 40. Each lens is provided with gear teeth I2, 44 which mesh with a shrouded idler gearwheei 48. Thus, when one of the lenses is rotated for focussing the other lensis rotated to the same extent, so that the focussing of the image on the fllm is always the sameas that of the image on the view-finder screen. I

Referring nowto Figure 2, the outline of the film gate or frame is indicated by the dotted rectangle l8 and the outline of the central fullyiiluminated area is indicated by the dotted rectangle the marginal space between these two rectangles being the vignetted area. The screen I2 is shown held in a frame 52 which, as shown also in Figure 1, is free to move in all directions in the plane of the screen in a slot 54 formed in a bar I fixed to the fllm gate i2. The frame I2 is pivoted at 58 to a piston rod 80 fixed to a piston '2' sliding in a cylinder 64. At 88 the frame is-connected by a link 88 to another piston rod II fixed to a piston 12 sliding in a cylinder 14.

Both pistons are urged to the right by springs piston is filled with liquid. This part of the cminder I4 is connected by a pipe I6 to a cylinder 1. similar in all respects to the cylinder 84 and containing a piston spring-pressed towards the right. The cylinder II is similarly connected by a vpipe 22 to a cylinder containing a piston 80. The rod 88 of the piston is pivoted at 80 to an actuating plate 82 and the rod 94 of the piston 28 is connected by a link I! to a point on the actuating plate. The points Ill, 88 correspond in position on the plate 02 to the points 58, ll on the frame II. It will be appreciated that if'the in any direction the frame 52 will be moved in the opposite direction. If. for example, the plate is moved to the right liquid will be transferred from both cylinders I0, 84 to the cylinders 84, I4 respectively, with the result that the frame 82 will move to the left. The plate 82 cannot move bodily up and down but if itsv centre is moved upwards the Plate will pivot about the point 80. The piston 80 will therefore not move, but the piston 88 will move to the left, thereby transferformed in the centre of the plate 82, or rather at the points corresponding in position to the foveal area 84 on the screen 22. In this socket is a ball I04 carried by a rod I08 which slides in a bore in a lever I08 provided with a hand knob H0. The lever I08 is connected by a universal joint, the gimbal ring of which is indicated at I I2, to a rotatable ring H4 carried in a ball hearing II 8 in a frame II8. which also carries the cylinders I8, 84. The lower end of the rod I08 moves inside a rectangular frame I20 which limits its movement in all directions. The size and shape of this frame I28 is such that the centre of the ball I04 cannot move beyond. the confines of a rectangle equal in size and shape to the rectangle 50. It results that the foveal area 84 can be moved to any point within the fully illuminated area of the film, but cannot'occupy a position anywhere in'the vignetted margin.

The ring H4 is provided with bevel gear teeth I 22 meshing with a bevel pinion I24 connected by a shaft I28 through bevel gearing I28 to a vertical shaft I80. The bevel wheel I22 fixed to the upper end of the shaft meshes with another bevel gear I84 attached to a spindlelfl to which is splined a shrouded gearwheel I28 meshing with the gearwheel 42. In this way the lenses I4, 28 can be focussed by rotating the knob I I0, A cam i40 fixed to the lower end of the shaft I20 (see also Figure 6) co-operates with a cam follower roller I42 carried by a rod I 44, sliding in a guide I45, a spring I48 maintaining the follower in contact with the cam. The rod I44 is connected by links I50, I52. to arms I54, I58 respectively. The arm I54 is rigidly attached to the mirror 20 and by a disc I21 attache meat swings the. mirrors 20, 22 to bring the images of the object focussed' upon automatically into coincidence.

The ring I22 is surmounted by a hemispherical cover I28 having an ening I25 which is closed to the lever I08, this disc being curved to the same curvature as the cover I28 and moving freely inside the cover,

The way in which the elements of the invention cooperate is illustrated in Figure 7 which shows in side elevation a cinematograph camera, the camera back I82 of which is mounted on a rotatable tripod head I84 in pivots I88, a handle I88 being provided so that the camera/may be directed to any desired point. The view finder is indicated at I10 and the two movable screens 82 .are shown, one in front of the view-finder screen and the other in front of the film gate I2 and both jointly under the control of the hand-knob I I0, the movement of which also controls the focussing of the lenses I4, 88 through the gearing I28, I22 and also the adjustment of the mirrors 20, 22 by means of the cam I40.

The view-finder is not shown in detail but it may be of any suitable'kind with provision for erecting the image. The optical axis of the viewfinder may be bent or staggered by means of prisms or mirrors so that the view-finding systhe arm I58 is rigidly attached to the mirror 22.

When the cam I40 is rotated clockwise as seen in Figure 6 the mirror 20 is turned in a clockwise direction and the mirror 22 in the anticlockwise direction, and the cam is so shaped that the conemployed for actuating the screen 82 in the view-' finder. The operating mechanism for this viewfinder screen is a duplicate of that described wi reference to Figure 2.

tems clear the internal mechanism of the camera. It may also be corrected for parallax by any of thewell-known methods. The screen 82, and

the corresponding screen in the view-finder, maybe made interchangeable with other screens having different characteristics, for example different diameter of foveal circle of a different gradation of diffusion and different gradation of transparency. Alternatively, the effect of the screens may be varied by varying the distance between them and the film in the one case and the focussing screen of the view-finder in the other case."

It will be appreciated that the invention may be applied to television cameras as well as to photographic cameras and the expression cinematograph is to be interpreted as including television. a

I claim:

1. In a. cinematographic camera, the combination of meansfor supporting a sensitive imagereceiving surface, means for forming an image on the surface, a movable screen operative to pass undiffused light to a selected small area of the image-receiving surface and to pass the light to other parts of said surface which is diffused in proportion to the radial distance outwardly from said small area whereby to provide a small area of good image definition around which the image becomes progressively less well-defined, and

means for moving said screen in any directionimage forming means whereby a desired point or part of said image may be well-defined in re- In using the camera the operator watches the lation to the remainder thereof.

2'. .In a cinematographic camera, the combination of means for supporting a sensitive imagereceiving surface, means for forming on said surface two superimposed images of an object or scene taken from viewpoints spaced horizontally, a movable screen operative to pass undiffused light to a selected small area of said surface and to pass the light to other parts of said surface which is diffused in proportion to the radial distance outwards from said small area,

' whereby to provide a small area of good image definition around which the image becomes progressively less well-defined, means for bringing into coincidence at the image plane the portion of the superimposed images occuping said small area of good definition, and means for moving said screen whereby a desired point or part of the superimposed images may be well-defined in relation to the remainder thereof.

3. A cinematographic camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein the camera is provided with a view finding device including an image-receiving surface, means for forming on said last surface two superimposed images corresponding to those formed on the sensitive image-receiving surface, means for bringing into coincidence said lastnamed images, mechanism interconnecting both said means for bringing the superimposed images into coincidence and providing for the working of said means in synchronism, a screen similar to the first screen and associated with said view finding device, connections operative between said screens and providing for movement thereof in synchronism, and mechanism interconnecting both said means for forming the superimposedimages and effecting the working thereof in synchronism whereby at any instant the composite image formed on the view finder image-receiving surface is substantially similar to that being formed at the image plane of the sensitive image-receiving surface.

4. A cinematographic camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein the camera is provided with a view finding device including an image-receiving surface, means for forming on said last surface two superimposed images corresponding to those formed on the sensitive imagereceiving surface,

means for bringing into coincidence said lastnamed images, mechanism interconnecting both said means for bringing the superimposed images into coincidence and providing for the working of said means in synchronism, a screen similar to the first screen and associated with said view finding device, connections operative between said screens and providing for movement thereof in synchronism, and mechanism interconnecting both said means for forming the superimposed images and effecting the working thereof in synchronism whereby at any instant the composite image formed on the view finder image-receiving surface is substantially similar to that being formed at the image plane of the sensitive imagereceiving surface, and wherein the camera is further provided with focusing means and mechanism interconnecting said focusing means and both said means for bringing thesuperimposed images into coincidence, whereby the parts of the images which are in coincidence are also in sharp focus.

5. A cinematographic camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for forming the superimposed images on the sensitive surface includes a camera lens, two plane mirrors oneion either side of said lens and inclined at an angle to reflect light from the scene in a direction at right angles to the optical axis of the lens, a third mirror having a semi-transparent reflecting coating arranged infront of the lens so as to reflect into the lens light which it receives from one said plane mirrors, and a fourth mirror in front of the third mirror arrangedto receive light from the-other of the plane mirrors and screen operative to pass to a selected small area of the sensitive surface a portion of the light reflected into the camera lens and without diffusion thereof and to pass the light to other parts of said surface which is diffused in proportion to the radial distance outwards from said small area whereby to provide a small area of ood image definition, a second screen similar to the first screen through which light reflected into the view finder lens is passed to the imagereceiving surface of the view finder, means for moving said screens in unison, and meansfor bringing into coincidence the superimposed images at the image planes of the sensitive surface and of the view finder, respectively, whereby the composite image formed on the view finder image-receiving surface is substantially similar to that being formed on the sensitive surface, both with regard to the position of the small area of good image definition and the coincident images. i

7. A cinematographic camera as claimed in claim 6, wherein the system of reflecting mirrors includes two plane mirrors one on either side of the camera lens and inclined at an angle to reflect light from the scene in a direction at right reflecting through the semi-transparent coating into the camera lens.

6. In a cinematographic camera, the combination of means for forming on a sensitive imagereceiving surface two superimposed images of an angles to the optical axis of the camera lens, said two mirrors being pivoted to turn about vertical axes, and means interconnecting said two mirrors and providing for their rotation always in opposite directions to the same extent.

8. A cinematographic camera as claimed in claim 6, wherein the system of reflecting mirrors includes two plane mirrors each pivoted to turn about a vertical axis and means interconnecting said mirrors and providing for their rotation in opposite directions and to the same extent, and wherein the camera and view finder lenses are each provided with a focusing device, together with mechanism for interconnecting said focusing devices with the means for rotating the mirrors,

9. A cinematographic camera as claimed in claim 6, wherein the system of reflecting mirrors includes two plane mirrors each pivoted to turn about a vertical axis and means interconnecting said mirrors and providing for their rotation in opposite directions and to the same extent, and wherein the camera and view finder lenses are each provided with a focusing device, together with mechanism for interconnecting said focusing devices with the means for rotating the mirrors, and wherein a single actuating means is connected to the means for moving the screens and to the interconnected focusing device and operative to prevent movement of the area of good image definition on to the vignetted marginal part. 7

11. In a cinematographic camera, the combination of means for supporting a sensitive imagereceiving surface, means for forming an image on the surface, a movable screen disposed immediately in front of said surface and having a small non-diffusing and non-absorbing area for passing undiifused light to a selected small area of the image-receiving surface, the remainder of the screen being progressively light-diffusing and light absorbing to agreater extent outwardly of said small area, thereby to provide a small area of good image definition around which the image becomes progressively less well-defined, and means for moving said screen in any direction at will transversely to the optical axis of the image forming means whereby any desired point of said image may be well-defined in rela tion to the remainder thereof.

12. The combination of a camera for forming the image of an object or scene on a sensitive image-receiving surface, a view finder including means for erecting an image which is substantially similar to the image being formed on the sensitive surface, a foveal screen in the field of view of each, manual control means, and means interconnecting said control means and screens and providing for like movement of said screens.

13. The combination of a camera including means for forming a plurality of superimposed images of an object or scene on a sensitive imagereceiving surface, a lens system, means for focussing the lens of said system, and coincidence adjusting means for. bringing the superimposed images into coincidence, a view finder for forming an image'which is substantially identical with the image being formed on the sensitive surface and including a lens system and means for. focussing the lens thereof, a foveal screen in the field of view of each said camera and view finder, means interconnecting said screens V and providing for their like movements, andlike movements of said screens.

15. The combination of av camera including means for forming a plurality of superimposed images on a sensitive image-receiving surface, a lens system, means for focusing the lens of said system, and coincidence adjusting means for bringing the-superimposed images into coincidence, a view finder for forming an image which is substantially identical with the image being formed on the sensitive surface and including a lens system and means for focussing the lens thereof, a foveal screen for each said camera andlens finder, means interconnecting said screens, means interconnecting the camera and view finder focussing means with each other and with the coincidence adjusting means, anda single control means operative through both said interconnecting means for effecting 'focussing and coincidence adjustments and for actuating said screens in unison.

16. In a camera having means for forming an image of an object or scene on a sensitive imagereceiving surface, a foveal screen disposed immediately in front of the image-receiving surface, and means for moving the screen in any direction at will transversely to the optical axis of the image forming means including provisions for bringing the foveal area of the screen to any selected point of interest of the image in rapid and accurate manner. 

